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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — goods
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — to bear
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spell — letters
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spell — a short time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — shares
  24. cold — not warm

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