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: kid · wave · arm · track · mine · bark · land · can

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — ground
  5. track — to keep track
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — child
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a path
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. land — to come down

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