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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — a skill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — of water
  20. row — a line
  21. rest — a break
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — boats
  24. perch — for a bird

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