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 · straw · sharp · wave · branch · suit · march · spell

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — a division
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — the month

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