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: wound · row · stem · band · ground · current · calf · face

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ground — a position
  3. current — of water
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — to come from
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to confront
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ground — crushed

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