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: fall · land · squash · stem · date · drill · leaves · sharp

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — ground
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. date — the fruit
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — to crush
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — army training

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