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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bank — of a river
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — the time now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — there
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. race — a contest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. press — a publisher
  19. race — humankind
  20. press — to push
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — to rip

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