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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — a subject
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — in a road
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — farmland
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. season — in sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — for sport
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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