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 · land · chest · stem · bowl · mouse · spring · pitch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. land — a country
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. land — to come down
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — ground
  20. spring — of water
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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