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: land · ball · net · field · stem · stock · fall · wax

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — a subject
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. land — a country
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stock — a soup base

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