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: field · rest · wax · last · row · prune · board · staff

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — a stick
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — to get on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — a subject
  23. rest — what's left
  24. board — a flat piece

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