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 · tube · mug · cell · root · pop · date · fan

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — music
  3. date — the fruit
  4. root — the cause
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — a container
  20. mug — a face
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — to rip

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