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: tear · plane · rock · stick · fork · root · snap · hand

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hand — help
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. plane — a tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — the cause
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hand — in cards

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