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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · spell · spring · game · stem · arm

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — of water
  4. game — a match
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — wild animals
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spell — magic
  18. arm — part of the body

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