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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — to come from
  11. race — a contest
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a ring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. temple — a place of worship

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