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: prune · wave · stem · club · stock · drill · leaves · bat

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — army training
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bat — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. club — for golf
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — to go away

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