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: hand · stand · present · saw · suit · jam · bark · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. present — a gift
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. present — there
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — the time now
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. band — a ring
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. suit — clothes
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. band — a music group
  21. suit — to fit
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bark — to shout

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