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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bank — for money
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lean — thin
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. spring — the season
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. prune — the fruit

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