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 116 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 · spell · file · mate · band · mug · mine · stock

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mug — a cup
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — to breed
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a tool

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