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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. row — a line
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. row — a quarrel

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