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: wound · band · mouse · lash · pound · bay · court · prune

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a music group
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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