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: toast · stock · net · capital · branch · row · fall · wax

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — a line
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — in sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — to grow
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — a division
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — a big letter

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