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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — a break
  7. clip — a video
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. shower — to wash
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — a division
  17. band — a music group
  18. deal — an agreement

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