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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — to grow
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — goods
  9. club — for golf
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. track — a path
  22. club — a group
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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