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 · ground · capital · craft · tube · nail · fan

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — a position
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — the underground
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — the earth
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — boats
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — money
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. capital — a city
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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