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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bank — of a river
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bank — for money

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