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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — shares
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. branch — a division
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. content — the amount
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. band — a music group
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stock — goods
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bank — for money
  19. snap — to click
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ground — a position
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — crushed
  24. branch — of a tree

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