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: rush · bark · hand · club · degree · mate · wax · present

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — help
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a friend
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — for golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. club — a group
  16. rush — hurry
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. present — there
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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