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

Word bank: current · file · wax · rash · spring · last · shower · bark

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. last — to go on
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — of water
  12. shower — rain
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spring — the season
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — a coil
  21. last — final
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — to wash
  24. current — happening now

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