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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — low music
  8. scale — in music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. season — of the year

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