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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a song
  7. bat — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. current — happening now
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. field — a subject
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. field — for sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — farmland
  24. wax — in the ear

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