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: rash · wax · cell · stock · fan · press · land · leaves

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. land — ground

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