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: cabinet · spring · court · track · pop · bulb · hand · stem

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. court — of a king
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — for sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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