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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. club — for golf
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hand — in cards
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. club — a group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. root — the cause
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hand — help
  24. stem — a stem cell

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