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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. dip — to sink
  9. craft — a skill
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stock — goods
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — boats
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — shares
  22. branch — a division
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitch — completely

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