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: ground · chair · object · last · rock · hide · branch · bark

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. object — to protest
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. object — a thing
  13. branch — a division
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. object — an aim
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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