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: root · current · prune · wind · ground · wax · cold · bark

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — to shout
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. root — the cause
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. current — electric
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — happening now
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ground — a position
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. root — of a word
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. prune — the fruit

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