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: board · prune · field · perch · land · temple · row · cell

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — for sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — to get on
  22. cell — a phone
  23. board — a committee
  24. temple — side of the head

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