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: toast · safe · bark · leaves · rush · staff · cold · wax

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — not warm
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. staff — a stick
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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