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: content · prune · stick · sharp · tube · mine · bark · degree

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tube — the underground
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. content — the amount
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tube — in a tire

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