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: fork · cold · can · spring · bay · game · stem · root

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — of a word
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. can — to be able to
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cold — not warm

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