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 · bound · ground · deal · object · stock · clip · wound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. object — to protest
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. object — a thing
  7. bound — certain
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. object — an aim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — a video
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — shares
  24. wax — to grow

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