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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. craft — boats
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. march — music
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. craft — a skill
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  24. club — a group

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