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: stem · mug · degree · patient · bark · ball · hand · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hand — help
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. degree — an amount
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mug — a face
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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