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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. press — to push
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — a subject
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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