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 · rash · spring · mate · club · stock · roll

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — of water
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — the season
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spring — a coil

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