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 116 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: root · staff · fan · stem · hand · last · face · press

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — finally
  4. hand — help
  5. press — a publisher
  6. staff — a stick
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. root — the cause
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — to push
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. last — final

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