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 · last · rule · spring · band · arm · deal · wax

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rule — a law
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — government
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — the season
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. arm — part of the body
  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