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 · ground · pitcher · bark · bore · stock · shower · rash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — rain
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — shares
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stock — goods
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stock — a soup base

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