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: lean · wind · stock · wake · bat · stem · coach · calf

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lean — thin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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