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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — finally
  24. suit — clothes

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