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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a ring
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — for paper
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bound — tied together
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — a division
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. clip — a video
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — a tin

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