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 · wax · lean · pop · rush · swing · tear · band

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — music
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rush — hurry
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a ring
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wax — to grow

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