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: ball · march · perch · bark · bulb · chest · pound · prune

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chest — a box
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bark — to shout
  10. perch — the fish
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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