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: scale · bear · ground · stem · pop · perch · race · object

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ground — a position
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pop — soda
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. object — a thing
  10. race — humankind
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pop — to visit
  19. object — to protest
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. object — an aim
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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