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: bore · rush · plane · cold · wound · roll · land · wave

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bore — to drill
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bore — to tire
  24. plane — an aircraft

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