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 · ruler · wind · hand · branch · lash · spell · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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