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 116 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 · wound · key · bound · calf · bank · hand · club

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — certain
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. key — in music
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — in cards
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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