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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. roll — a list
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a ring
  9. roll — a cake
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chest — a box
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — to tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stem — to come from

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