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: cap · bark · lash · field · shower · tube · spell · branch

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — for sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cap — of ice
  7. field — a subject
  8. spell — letters
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — rain
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — a hat
  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