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: lie · tear · bank · spell · cold · bulb · shower · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — magic
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — rain
  24. bulb — of a plant

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