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: lie · fork · clip · tear · hand · stem · cap · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. clip — a video
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cap — a hat

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