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: patient · band · bark · trunk · pound · wind · lean · cabinet

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lean — thin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — a sick person

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