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: toast · board · band · branch · wake · rush · sharp · capital

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. band — a music group
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — money
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — a trail
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. band — a ring
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. toast — bread
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. branch — a division
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — a city
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — a big letter

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