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 120 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: cold · can · stem · content · track · wound · spring · shower

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wound — an injury
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — happy
  23. track — a path
  24. cold — not warm

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