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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — a law
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — a container
  15. rule — government
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — for sport

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