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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a ring
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to confront
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — a division
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. race — humankind
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. spring — a coil
  20. race — a contest
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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