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: prune · patient · lean · stem · rock · game · field · race

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. race — humankind
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — a contest
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — music
  12. field — farmland
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — the arms race
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lean — thin
  24. prune — the fruit

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