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: toast · stem · scale · board · mine · snap · coach · wind

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — for digging
  3. snap — to click
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — size or range
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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