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: fan · jam · pitcher · wind · perch · pass · stem · bark

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. perch — the fish
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pass — a permit
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. jam — in traffic

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