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: scale · leaves · mate · tube · shower · cold · saw · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — to wash
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. band — a music group
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — a container

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