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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — help
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. track — a song
  16. net — for catching
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. trunk — of a car

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