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 · mine · wax · face · field · lean · vault · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. field — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. field — a subject
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. field — farmland
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lean — thin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to confront
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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