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: cell · stand · mine · saw · ground · fine · wax · cap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cell — a phone
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — all right
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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