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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · stem · chest · race · stock · clip

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — humankind
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chest — a box
  8. stock — goods
  9. race — the arms race
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. race — a contest
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stem — of a plant

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