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 · bark · trunk · pitch · bay · tear · band · kid

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — child
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. band — a ring
  24. wound — an injury

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