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: board · last · spring · court · arm · bark · branch · lash

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. board — to get on
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. last — finally
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. board — a committee
  21. spring — of water
  22. bark — to shout
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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