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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · dip · bass · mark · land · straw · club · band

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — for golf
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mark — a grade
  11. dip — to sink
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. band — a ring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. land — to come down
  20. club — a group
  21. mark — a trace
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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