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: chest · rush · hide · tube · stem · dip · march · wake

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tube — a container
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stem — to come from

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