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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · stem · drill · hand · tear · shower · track · dip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — to sink
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — in cards
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — a practice
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — to come from
  24. leaves — of a tree

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