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: bank · cap · staff · cold · stem · bass · wax · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — for money
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — of a river
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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