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: bear · stem · kid · last · leaves · band · pitcher · bulb

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a music group
  7. kid — child
  8. last — final
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. last — finally
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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