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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. clip — a video
  11. wax — to grow
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — goods
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — shares
  21. suit — clothes
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cap — a lid

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