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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mug — a face
  6. field — farmland
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — for digging
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kid — child
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — an explosive

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