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: stem · bat · wax · cell · stick · wound · stock · race

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — humankind
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — a contest
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — shares
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — for baseball

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