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: bear · lean · prune · date · clip · shower · stem · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stem — to come from
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — thin
  7. date — the fruit
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — a video
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lean — to bend
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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