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: perch · wax · deal · bound · bark · rock · stock · tear

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rock — a stone
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — goods

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