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: pitcher · rock · patient · clip · arm · band · mouse · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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