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: field · fan · patient · fork · saw · last · ground · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. field — a subject
  3. ground — crushed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fork — in a road
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ground — the earth
  24. saw — the tool

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