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: march · bark · row · leaves · mark · wax · fan · perch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — of a tree

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