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: wake · bay · rock · mine · row · stem · dip · capital

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. capital — a city
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. row — to paddle
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — a line
  20. stem — to come from
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wake — a trail

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