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 116 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: net · mine · coach · bark · rest · branch · wake · cue

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cue — a hint
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — for pool
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. net — for catching
  24. branch — a division

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