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: file · wax · cell · tube · saw · bark · staff · snap

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. staff — employees
  5. file — a line of people
  6. staff — a stick
  7. snap — to click
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. staff — employees
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — a phone
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — to grow

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