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: shower · squash · board · wind · last · patient · prune · bark

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a committee
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. squash — the sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. last — to go on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bark — to shout
  24. last — final

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