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 120 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: straw · clip · kid · field · stem · racket · deal · wax

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kid — child
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — to handle
  11. clip — to cut
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — to grow
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. clip — a video
  23. field — a subject
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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