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

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. shower — rain
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a music group
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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