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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of law
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. chest — a box
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of a king
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — the cause
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — of a word

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