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 · ground · spring · march · perch · mine · wave · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — crushed
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — final
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — music
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — finally
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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