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: club · foot · band · spring · wind · ball · straw · stem

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spring — the season
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. club — for golf
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. band — a music group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — to come from

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