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: perch · pitcher · arm · band · fall · spring · rock · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fall — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a rubber band

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