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: shower · ruler · march · bound · bulb · cold · saw · stem

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — rain
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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