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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spring — the season
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spring — of water
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mine — for digging

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