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: wax · band · rash · straw · mark · track · stock · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — goods
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — shares
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. track — a song
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — a grade
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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