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: stock · nail · bore · wax · content · mine · cell · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. tear — to rip
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — the amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stock — goods
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — shares
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. content — happy
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bore — to tire

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