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: mate · lean · roll · bulb · stem · calf · bat · wound

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. roll — a list
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — to breed
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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