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 120 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: season · present · press · stem · degree · fall · wound · cell

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — the time now
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — there
  9. stem — to come from
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in biology
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. degree — from a university
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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