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: root · chair · lean · shower · bark · cap · straw · rush

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. root — of a word
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cap — a hat
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. cap — a lid
  24. shower — rain

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