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: pop · kick · band · wax · degree · nail · row · shower

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. shower — to wash
  6. degree — from a university
  7. band — a ring
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — in football
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pop — music
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a music group
  24. nail — on a finger

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