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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to sink

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