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 · wound · club · snap · rest · tear · nail

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — what's left
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — a group
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rest — a break

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