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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — electric
  3. file — a line of people
  4. current — of water
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kid — child
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a document
  19. rock — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — music
  24. kid — to tease

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