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: chest · bore · drill · prune · band · mouse · tube · stock

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a ring
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — a container
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. drill — army training
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chest — a box
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bore — to drill

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