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: last · stock · pitcher · cell · root · staff · wax · fall

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — shares
  6. root — the cause
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — a stick
  11. last — final
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — the season
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fall — to drop

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