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: scale · bark · wind · row · land · net · saw · plane

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — in music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — to paddle
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — ground
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bark — to shout

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