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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — a division
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — a box
  12. wound — an injury
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a music group
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to click
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — to trim

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