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: clip · wound · ruler · kid · bank · band · foot · stand

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a music group
  5. kid — child
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bank — for money
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a ring
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. band — a rubber band

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