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: firm · net · wake · bulb · stock · court · stem · spring

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. wake — a trail
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — in sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — a coil
  24. firm — steady

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