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: pound · bear · land · spring · stem · mug · degree · fan

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. land — ground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spring — the season
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — to rob
  15. land — a country
  16. spring — of water
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stem — to come from
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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