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: foot · bark · last · land · pop · branch · firm · drill

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — to come down
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pop — soda
  7. firm — a company
  8. last — final
  9. land — ground
  10. bark — to shout
  11. firm — decided
  12. branch — a division
  13. land — a country
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. firm — steady
  24. last — finally

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