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: bark · chest · hand · scale · band · bass · stand · bank

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a ring
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a music group
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chest — a box

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