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 · shower · bark · rock · kick · plane · bay · row

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — of water
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spring — the season
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rock — a stone
  15. row — a line
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. plane — a tool
  21. kick — in football
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — rain

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