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: key · shower · file · spring · lean · tube · wake · season

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lean — to bend
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. season — of the year
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tube — a container
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spring — the season
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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