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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stand — to bear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — a subject
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mate — a friend
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. prune — the fruit

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