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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spring — the season
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a city
  12. spring — of water
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — goods
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — to come from

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