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 · field · bark · spell · ruler · tube · stand · march

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — a subject
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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