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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. last — final
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — a publisher
  15. can — to be able to
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — for digging
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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