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: season · wax · bulb · court · current · band · snap · foot

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — to grow
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — a measure
  17. court — of law
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. current — electric
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to click
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. current — happening now

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