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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — for paper
  13. track — a path
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spell — magic
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — letters
  19. clip — a video
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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