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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. file — a document
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — for digging

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