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: bark · fall · nail · arm · mine · march · lean · lash

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. march — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bark — of a tree

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