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 116 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: drill · stem · branch · shower · wake · cue · pit · row

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — to paddle
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — a hint
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — for pool
  19. row — a line
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — rain
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — a quarrel

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