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 120 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: branch · lash · season · drill · bark · row · wake · chair

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  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