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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — shares
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — of water
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. squash — to crush
  22. current — electric
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stock — goods

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