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: coach · press · race · bark · march · branch · degree · bound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bark — to shout
  4. race — humankind
  5. march — the month
  6. press — to push
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — a division
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bound — certain
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. march — music
  19. bound — tied together
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — a contest
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — a publisher

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