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: bark · prune · bore · spell · content · roll · stem · wax

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spell — magic
  6. stem — to come from
  7. content — the amount
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — to grow
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spell — letters
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. roll — a list

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