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: pound · pitcher · trunk · sharp · tube · hide · tear · bark

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tube — a container
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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