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: tube · court · present · wax · stem · cabinet · spell · bore

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. tube — a container
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — the time now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. present — a gift
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spell — magic
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spell — letters
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — of a king
  24. spell — a short time

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