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: stand · wax · cap · capital · pitcher · pit · bark · prune

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — to grow
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — to shout
  24. capital — a big letter

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