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: bass · fall · kid · band · bowl · pound · trunk · tear

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. band — a ring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — child
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tear — to rip

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