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 · firm · snap · bank · cold · straw · trunk · mark

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. firm — decided
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bank — of a river
  7. band — a music group
  8. firm — steady
  9. mark — a trace
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to click
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mark — a grade
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. firm — a company
  24. band — a ring

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