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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. field — a subject
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stem — to come from
  24. court — of law

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