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: pound · bark · scale · fan · snap · bulb · row · stand

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stand — to bear
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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