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: cabinet · stem · racket · land · straw · bank · band · lean

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. band — a music group
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — a country
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — ground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bank — of a river
  24. band — a ring

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