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: lash · bark · bore · calf · press · trunk · last · content

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — to tire
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — happy
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — finally
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — to drill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — final

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