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: content · bore · chest · temple · bark · bulb · face · spring

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chest — a box
  5. spring — of water
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — to confront
  17. bore — to tire
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — the amount
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — happy

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