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: row · stem · lean · tube · shower · fine · stock · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — all right
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. lean — thin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — a line
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — goods
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lean — to bend

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