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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — letters
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — for money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. file — a tool
  15. march — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. file — a document
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. march — the month

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