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: rush · degree · face · tube · rest · foot · branch · stem

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — temperature
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — part of the head
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — from a university
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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