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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · rock · spring · arm · lie · wax · cap · current

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — a coil

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