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: land · band · leaves · chest · press · cap · bark · craft

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. press — a publisher
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — boats
  10. press — to push
  11. cap — a lid
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — of ice
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a ring
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — lets stay

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