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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — to come from
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stem — 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