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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cell — in biology
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bank — for money
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. march — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. craft — boats
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bass — low music

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