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: wax · clip · bark · nail · mouse · fine · pop · drill

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fine — all right
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. drill — army training
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — soda
  24. wax — in the ear

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