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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — to shout
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — a group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — a video
  22. lie — to recline
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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