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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bass — low music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — to point toward
  14. degree — an amount
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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