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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. object — a thing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — to protest
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — a skill
  21. object — an aim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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