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: band · chest · rash · mine · tube · bank · capital · bore

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chest — a box
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — a container
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. capital — a city
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — money

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