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: fall · wax · clip · nail · row · swing · bark · toast

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bark — to shout
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fall — the season
  8. wax — to grow
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — to play on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — music

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