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: clip · bulb · hide · bank · date · stock · wax · field

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. date — the fruit
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stock — shares
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. clip — a video
  23. field — a subject
  24. stock — goods

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