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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · shower · bulb · wax · wind · patient · field · bark

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. field — for sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — rain
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  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