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: tube · band · mate · tear · drill · pitcher · stem · root

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — the underground
  5. root — of a plant
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mate — to breed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. root — of a word
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. tube — a container
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tear — to rip

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