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 · lean · bark · wake · date · net · tear · shower

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. net — in sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bark — to shout
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — for catching
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lean — to bend

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