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: court · spell · rush · field · wake · lean · stem · capital

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — thin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. spell — letters
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. capital — money
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stem — to come from

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