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: swing · land · safe · wax · tube · cold · field · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. field — farmland
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — the underground
  6. land — ground
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. swing — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. cold — not warm
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — a country
  24. safe — out of danger

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