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 116 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: shower · rash · band · bank · spring · chip · patient · capital

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a music group
  5. rash — hasty
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — to eat
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bank — for money
  10. spring — the season
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. capital — a city
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — rain
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — of water
  21. bank — of a river
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spring — a coil

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