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: kick · degree · spring · chip · leaves · tube · root · stem

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — to come from
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chip — for betting
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. kick — in football

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