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: wound · shower · content · trunk · stand · ground · bark · saw

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — happy
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ground — a position
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — the amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — to shout
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. trunk — of a car

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