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: season · wake · shower · fork · land · rest · cabinet · root

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — to come down
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — a country
  5. root — the cause
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fork — in a road
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — in sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. shower — rain
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — of the year
  24. rest — what's left

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