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: file · band · branch · bank · roll · hand · swing · rule

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. roll — a cake
  3. swing — in golf
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. roll — a list
  7. hand — help
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rule — government

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