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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. drill — army training
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chest — a box
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fork — in a road
  12. shower — rain
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chest — of your body

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