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: bound · chest · mark · bark · root · band · net · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. net — in sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. net — for catching
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a grade

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