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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — to go on
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — final
  8. drill — a practice
  9. charge — electricity
  10. drill — army training
  11. season — in sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. charge — in control
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — electric
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — of water
  23. last — finally
  24. drill — the tool

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