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: wave · bound · shower · object · spell · prune · ball · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — to wash
  4. object — an aim
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — rain
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — to protest
  22. spell — letters
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wave — of the sea

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