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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. wax — to grow
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — of water
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — happening now
  21. can — to be able to
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. can — a tin

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