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: spring · stem · present · march · wax · fall · staff · current

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spring — the season
  4. present — the time now
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fall — to drop
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. current — happening now
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — a gift
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — music
  23. present — there
  24. stem — to come from

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