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: last · bowl · spring · track · drill · ground · stem · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. track — a song
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — a practice
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ground — the earth
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. drill — army training
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. last — final
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a football final

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