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: ground · wind · stem · lie · season · file · patient · rock

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ground — a position
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. patient — a sick person

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