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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a city
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bound — certain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — rain
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. band — a rubber band

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