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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — letters
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lean — thin
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lean — to bend
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. spell — magic

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