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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. file — a document
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. file — a tool
  15. content — happy
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. capital — a city
  20. branch — a division
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a tree

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