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: fan · drill · wave · kid · rash · season · march · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — hasty
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — a series
  22. season — of the year
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. kid — child

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