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: bass · tear · hide · rule · straw · stem · staff · date

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bass — low music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rule — government
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rule — a law
  24. date — the fruit

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