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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spring — of water
  4. stock — shares
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — to drill
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — to tire
  17. spring — a coil
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stock — goods
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stem — to come from

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