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: calf · wax · bark · bore · last · capital · spell · craft

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spell — letters
  13. craft — boats
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spell — a short time
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bark — to shout
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. last — final

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