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: wake · pit · field · club · last · bark · clip · bulb

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bark — to shout
  4. last — final
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. clip — a video
  7. field — a subject
  8. club — for golf
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pit — a hole
  15. club — for dancing
  16. field — farmland
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. field — for sport
  21. club — a group
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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