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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. content — the amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — happy
  12. fall — the season
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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