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: straw · tear · lash · mouse · rash · lean · file · current

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — of water
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — thin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a document

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