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 120 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: spell · wound · bark · wax · pound · season · court · kid

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. season — of the year
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — for sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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