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: wave · cell · stock · tear · racket · lean · deal · cold

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — an illness
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. cold — not warm
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — of the sea

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