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: tear · band · staff · race · hand · leaves · track · current

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hand — in cards
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. current — electric
  7. track — a path
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. hand — help
  12. current — of water
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — to keep track
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a ring
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. current — happening now
  24. race — humankind

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