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 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. race — a contest
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — a division
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. race — the arms race
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — humankind
  22. shower — rain
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the vegetable

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