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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a word
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. race — the arms race
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — humankind
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. race — a contest

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