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: band · court · fall · march · root · drill · wave · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. march — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. drill — army training
  12. court — of law
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — for sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — of a king
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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