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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — in a race
  9. face — to point toward
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bound — certain
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bound — obliged
  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