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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fall — to drop
  3. club — a group
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a match
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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