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

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. plane — a tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — farmland
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. field — for sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitcher — a jug

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