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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — shares
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rash — a series
  12. fine — all right
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bark — to shout
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lean — thin
  21. stock — goods
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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