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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — a video

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