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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — to come from
  8. present — there
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — from a university
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. present — a gift
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. degree — temperature

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