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: season · band · stem · cap · capital · spell · board · bore

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. board — a committee
  9. spell — a short time
  10. season — in sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — to drill
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — a lid
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — to get on
  24. season — to add flavour

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