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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — a company
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spell — letters
  6. clip — for paper
  7. branch — a division
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. firm — decided
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spell — a short time
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. firm — steady
  17. stem — to come from
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. court — of law
  21. dip — to sink
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — final

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