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

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. current — electric
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — of water
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chest — a box
  22. current — happening now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. net — after costs

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