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: pound · rock · shower · stem · jam · kid · root · fork

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. root — the cause
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. shower — rain

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