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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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. staff — employees
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. staff — a stick
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — a line
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stem — to come from
  24. game — wild animals

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