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 124 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a ring
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a music group
  15. suit — clothes
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. suit — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stock — goods

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