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: safe · pound · stand · dip · roll · clip · stem · field

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. clip — a video
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. field — a subject
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — to sink
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — for paper
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pound — for dogs

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