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 120 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: race · pop · stem · saw · clip · bear · wave · wax

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pop — soda
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — humankind
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — the arms race
  24. clip — a video

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