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 · face · wound · pop · bark · perch · march · foot

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. pop — soda
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — a measure

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