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: band · mine · bat · deal · drill · root · branch · foot

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a word
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bat — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a ring
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — army training
  19. band — a music group
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. foot — a measure
  24. drill — the tool

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