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: stem · lie · mark · branch · degree · cap · tear · last

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mark — a trace
  6. last — final
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. degree — temperature
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cap — a hat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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