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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · hide · row · bark · current · craft · wound · patient

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a skill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — a line
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. craft — boats
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — of your body

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