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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. suit — in cards
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kid — child
  14. root — of a word
  15. suit — to fit
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — for catching
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. kid — to tease
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ground — a position

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