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: key · mine · drill · rest · bank · stem · clip · bat

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — for a lock
  4. clip — a video
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. key — in music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — army training
  17. bank — for money
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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