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: bulb · capital · field · clip · wax · object · patient · bark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bulb — for light
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — for paper
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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