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 · bank · wax · track · band · present · cold · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — for catching
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a ring
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. track — a path
  12. band — a music group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. track — a song
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — in sport
  24. present — a gift

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