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: leaves · bulb · saw · track · cold · fan · rush · bark

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — a path
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a song
  24. rush — hurry

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