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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — to come from
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a line
  19. content — happy
  20. capital — a city
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — money
  24. row — to paddle

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