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: deal · cell · leaves · stem · tear · march · fork · net

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — the month
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. deal — to handle
  11. march — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — for catching
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — in sport

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