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: kid · bark · stock · date · fall · cabinet · lash · wind

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fall — the season
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — goods

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