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: bass · leaves · spring · mine · tube · capital · mate · stem

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — a city
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — a container
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bass — low music
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a partner

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