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 120 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: perch · last · land · foot · stem · track · bark · safe

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. track — a path
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. land — ground
  4. track — to keep track
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stem — to come from
  8. land — to come down
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — the fish
  23. foot — the bottom
  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