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 116 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: object · bark · field · spring · mine · drill · wax · deal

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — a thing
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wax — to grow
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. deal — a big deal

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