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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. present — the time now
  5. shower — to wash
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — to paddle
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — a line
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. shower — rain
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — of water
  23. present — a gift
  24. wound — an injury

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