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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — a tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — a coil

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