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: coach · cap · tear · arm · patient · date · press · bark

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — newspapers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — to rip
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cap — of ice
  18. press — to push
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tear — from crying

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