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 120 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 · wave · can · pound · lie · rule · bank · hand

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bank — for money
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. rule — a law
  13. can — a tin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rule — government
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. shower — rain

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