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: stand · rush · craft · stem · date · trunk · last · swing

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — music
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — to play on
  12. last — to go on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. last — finally
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — in golf

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