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: wake · bark · degree · bay · lean · court · mouse · prune

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — from a university
  5. court — for sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. court — of a king
  10. lean — thin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lean — to rest against

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