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: wind · rush · bark · bound · lash · bat · field · row

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bat — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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