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: stem · bound · race · prune · bulb · bear · foot · cold

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — to trim

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