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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pop — to visit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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