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 116 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: bound · fine · pop · bore · leaves · degree · mine · stem

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — certain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bore — to drill
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fine — high quality
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — to tire
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fine — all right
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — soda
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — music

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