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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. land — to come down
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stem — to come from
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — a division
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — a coil
  23. can — to be able to
  24. branch — of a bank

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