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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — help
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — to come from
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — a subject
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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