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: bark · branch · capital · cabinet · arm · drill · ground · rock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — a position
  5. capital — money
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rock — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bark — to shout
  19. capital — a city
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ground — the earth

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