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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a great time
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. band — a ring
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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