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

Word bank: bark · perch · march · root · rule · stem · pit · spring

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — of a word
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — to shout
  11. root — the cause
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — a law
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rule — government
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stem — to come from
  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