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: cabinet · tear · shower · spring · stem · trunk · rash · arm

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — a series
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. shower — rain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — of water
  22. tear — to rip
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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