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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — soda
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — goods
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — a box
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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