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 120 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — to visit
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. band — a music group
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — to wash
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tube — a container
  15. mark — a grade
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — a trace
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. tube — in a tire

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