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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — to come from
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fork — a garden tool

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