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: press · rush · saw · spell · wax · capital · kid · bark

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. spell — magic
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. capital — a city
  11. spell — letters
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kid — child
  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