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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — part of the head
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bound — tied together
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bound — obliged
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — a lid
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — a division
  24. bound — certain

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