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: last · bark · cell · craft · field · can · hand · shower

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. can — a tin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hand — in cards
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. field — farmland
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — to wash
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. last — final
  23. cell — in biology
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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