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: degree · mine · mug · nail · present · spring · press · stem

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — to push
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stem — to come from
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mug — to rob
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — there
  24. mug — a face

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