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 120 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: mug · cold · arm · craft · band · wake · spell · nail

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — a cup
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — boats
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mug — to rob
  17. craft — a skill
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cold — not warm
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spell — letters
  24. craft — a handicraft

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