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: bound · race · mark · clip · drill · land · stem · bark

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bound — certain
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — humankind
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — a country
  9. race — a contest
  10. land — ground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. clip — for paper
  19. land — to come down
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bound — tied together

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