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: wave · rule · bark · stem · branch · saw · tear · shower

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. shower — rain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — to wash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — a division
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rule — government
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stem — to come from

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