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: band · fan · bulb · cue · pitch · staff · shower · branch

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. branch — a division
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a music group
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — a signal
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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