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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. field — farmland
  11. drill — a practice
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — the underground
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — a weight
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. field — for sport

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