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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — to bend
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spring — the season
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — of water
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of a king

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