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: pound · date · racket · chip · wound · bear · band · bark

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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