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: leaves · bark · clip · chest · temple · perch · press · stick

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — a video
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — a publisher
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. press — to push
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — newspapers
  24. perch — for a bird

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