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: lean · hand · row · stem · perch · staff · field · hide

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — for sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — help
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — a stick
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — a subject
  24. row — a quarrel

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