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 · bore · rush · wave · drill · cold · tube · bound

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. drill — army training
  11. bore — to drill
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — gave birth

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