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: wax · bowl · current · hand · snap · field · pitcher · bulb

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. field — a subject
  12. hand — in cards
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. field — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — help

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