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: can · spell · last · lean · pitcher · board · land · stem

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. last — final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — finally
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. land — ground
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — a short time
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — a country
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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