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: staff · stem · mine · mug · wax · capital · season · board

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a committee
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — to get on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — in sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — a flat piece

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