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: snap · ground · bulb · stock · net · branch · face · wax

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. snap — to click
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. net — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — goods
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stock — shares
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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