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: spring · bulb · cold · foot · season · bay · bark · row

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. row — a line
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bay — a horse colour

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