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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stock — goods
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spring — of water
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — the season

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