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: field · saw · rash · mine · spell · capital · current · wax

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — electric
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — money
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. current — happening now
  14. rash — a series
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — for sport

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