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

Word bank: capital · tear · season · scale · stem · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. scale — in music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tear — to rip
  9. capital — a city
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — of the year
  18. capital — money

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