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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. track — a song
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. perch — the fish

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