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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — a division
  11. last — finally
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — to recline
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. stem — a stem cell

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