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 116 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: march · fan · face · scale · cell · stem · mark · trunk

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a trace
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mark — a grade
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — to confront
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. scale — in music
  24. trunk — of a car

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