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

Word bank: march · bank · tear · face · rash · ground · wake · hide

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. march — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — a position
  22. rash — a series
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — to confront

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