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: key · roll · staff · lash · wound · mine · stem · cold

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stem — to come from
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. key — for a lock
  14. roll — a list
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — not warm

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