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: cold · tear · cap · craft · lash · stock · racket · wax

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stock — shares
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — to grow
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. racket — a loud noise

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