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: bark · wax · pitcher · cap · spring · prune · hide · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cap — a hat

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