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: date · band · prune · bass · bark · row · racket · drill

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a ring
  10. drill — a practice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a line
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — low music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — the fruit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — the fish

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