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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — to shout
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. degree — temperature
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — from a university
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — for paper
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  24. branch — of a tree

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