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: bore · court · wave · fan · field · cell · pop · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. cell — a phone
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — to visit
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. field — for sport

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