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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a path
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. track — a song
  13. spring — the season
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spring — a coil
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — of water

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