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: temple · wound · net · bark · bass · lash · root · chest

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. root — the cause
  11. net — after costs
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — for catching
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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