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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. key — in music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. board — to get on
  16. snap — to click
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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