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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — shares
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to confront
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — for light

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