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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — to keep track
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — to grow
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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