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

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — for digging
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — to fit
  11. march — music
  12. suit — in cards
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bank — for 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