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: patient · capital · face · spring · bank · stem · leaves · season

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. season — of the year
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — of water
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — money
  15. spring — the season
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. face — to confront

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