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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — the cause
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. face — to point toward
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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