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: rush · pitcher · clip · wax · land · bark · mug · leaves

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — ground
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — a country
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  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