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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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