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: ground · bear · drill · field · wax · tear · pit · stem

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — in a race
  5. drill — army training
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ground — a position
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bear — to put up with

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