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: stock · bark · tear · prune · club · wake · bulb · game

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a match
  13. bark — to shout
  14. club — a group
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wake — a trail
  21. club — for golf
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stock — shares
  24. game — a kind of play

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