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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. firm — a company
  11. stem — to come from
  12. land — ground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — to shout
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. firm — decided

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