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: saw · drill · bound · wave · degree · capital · bark · prune

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — certain
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — obliged
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — money
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — a city

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