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 116 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: cell · lean · shower · wake · board · row · perch · land

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a line
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. shower — rain
  13. cell — in biology
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — ground
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — thin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — a country
  22. perch — the fish
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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