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: wound · deal · bark · land · kid · temple · pass · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. land — a country
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — 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