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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — child
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pit — a hole
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — goods
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wax — for sculpting

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