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

Word bank: squash · spring · bass · wind · chip · stem · lean · bat

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spring — the season
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — thin
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bass — low music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — for baseball

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