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 · tube · scale · arm · pound · bark · roll · present

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. present — there
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. present — the time now
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. present — a gift
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bark — to shout
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. shower — to wash
  21. scale — in music
  22. roll — a list
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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