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: clip · roll · fork · ground · ruler · shower · stem · spring

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — in a road
  5. roll — a list
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. shower — rain
  12. clip — for paper
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — to wash

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