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: bass · tube · capital · deal · content · rest · tear · stem

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — the underground
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rest — a break
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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