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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — a contest
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — a stick
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — for sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a rubber band

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