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: vault · wax · stand · last · rock · land · cabinet · field

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rock — music
  3. land — a country
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — ground
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — to come down
  24. vault — a safe

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