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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · suit · chair · rash · tube · branch · band · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. band — a ring
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rash — hasty
  7. branch — a division
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. suit — to fit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tube — a container
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rash — a series
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. band — a music 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