ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. race — a contest
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — to shout
  10. race — humankind
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — to point toward
  17. row — to paddle
  18. race — the arms race
  19. row — a line
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com