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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. craft — boats
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. clip — a video
  7. bass — the fish
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. toast — bread
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. craft — a handicraft

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