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: patient · current · degree · firm · file · hand · mouse · wax

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. degree — from a university
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — of water
  8. file — a tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. current — electric
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. degree — temperature
  17. file — a line of people
  18. firm — decided
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a document
  24. hand — part of the body

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