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: spring · ball · tube · fine · file · bear · stem · branch

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. branch — a division
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. fine — all right
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — a container
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a line of people

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