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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. race — the arms race
  10. degree — temperature
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. field — for sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — a contest
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — to come from
  23. degree — from a university
  24. race — humankind

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