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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. root — of a word
  3. current — happening now
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. root — of a plant
  13. snap — to click
  14. bore — to drill
  15. current — electric
  16. kid — child
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — the cause
  21. band — a music group
  22. bore — to tire
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — gave birth

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