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

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. last — final
  4. stock — goods
  5. fine — all right
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — to go on
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. tube — a container

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