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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stock — shares
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. row — a line
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a city
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. face — to confront
  21. branch — a division
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. face — part of the head

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