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: cold · stand · bank · cell · bass · rush · bark · perch

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bass — low music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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