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 · row · rock · net · band · game · wound · prune

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chest — of your body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a ring
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. rock — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chest — a box
  24. prune — the fruit

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