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 116 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 · plane · leaves · wound · calf · craft · mine · swing

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. craft — a skill
  5. plane — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — to wash
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. swing — to play on
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. craft — boats
  24. plane — an aircraft

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