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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — part of the body

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