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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. root — the cause
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a ring
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — in football
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. last — to go on
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. root — of a plant
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. band — a music group
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wax — to grow

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