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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — to come from
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — for sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. field — a subject
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. press — to push
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — a trail
  24. field — farmland

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