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: stem · root · rush · capital · bowl · cold · clip · pound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cold — not warm
  22. root — of a word
  23. capital — money
  24. clip — to cut

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