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: kid · patient · prune · craft · mug · degree · stem · chair

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. degree — an amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a face
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chair — a leader
  12. craft — boats
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — child
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — temperature
  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