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 · file · calf · drill · mine · plane · branch · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a document
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. shower — to wash

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