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 · band · mark · roll · season · wound · row · spell

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — a trace
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — to paddle
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — letters
  15. mark — a grade
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. band — a music group
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a ring
  22. season — of the year
  23. roll — a cake
  24. spell — a short time

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