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: rock · bank · stock · wound · staff · court · trunk · band

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — of a river
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — of a king
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — a stone

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