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 124 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. court — of a king
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. land — ground
  10. court — of law
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. court — for sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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