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 120 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: fork · bark · cabinet · clip · trunk · shower · field · charge

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. charge — a price
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bark — to shout
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fork — in a road
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — farmland
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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