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: tear · fork · lash · tube · chest · wound · squash · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — the underground
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chest — a box
  24. drill — the tool

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