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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. band — a ring
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — letters
  7. branch — a division
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cold — an illness
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. band — a music group
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — not warm
  21. spell — magic
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — a big deal
  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