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: root · bound · last · degree · nail · bark · coach · current

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — electric
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. last — final
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. last — finally
  14. current — happening now
  15. bark — to shout
  16. last — to go on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bound — certain

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