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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. tear — to rip
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. current — electric
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — finally
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — final
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — for a hammer

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