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

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. board — to get on
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — the fish
  15. branch — a division
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. band — a ring
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — a committee
  23. bark — of a tree
  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