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: swing · patient · net · leaves · stem · band · game · stick

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — in golf
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — in sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. band — a music group
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. swing — to play on
  21. game — a match
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a ring

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