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: mine · temple · bark · racket · lean · tube · chest · bound

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bound — certain
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. tube — a container
  18. lean — thin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — tied together

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