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: ground · bear · tube · wake · safe · stem · land · prune

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stem — to come from
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — to come down
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — ground
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — a country
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tube — a container
  20. bear — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wake — a trail

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