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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. roll — a list
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a ring
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — of water
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — to come from
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — electric
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a line
  23. current — happening now
  24. stem — a stem cell

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