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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. field — for sport
  13. charge — in control
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. spring — of water
  19. charge — electricity
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. field — farmland
  22. mark — a trace
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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