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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. branch — a division
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — a container
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. roll — a cake
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tube — the underground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — farmland
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — a list

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