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: bank · arm · wound · snap · jam · tear · band · prune

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a music group
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bank — of a river
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. snap — to click
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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