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: firm · fall · fan · pop · lash · bear · field · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — farmland
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. firm — decided
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. firm — steady
  19. fall — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. firm — a company
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — a supporter

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