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: current · perch · field · swing · spring · root · net · wax

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. swing — music
  3. current — electric
  4. swing — to play on
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — farmland
  8. spring — the season
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — of a word
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. root — the cause
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — to grow
  19. perch — the fish
  20. swing — in golf
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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