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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stock — shares
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. swing — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — a division
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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