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 · patient · club · tear · mouse · perch · rush · fan

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rush — hurry
  11. club — a group
  12. shower — rain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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