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: cap · bank · march · wax · prune · clip · drill · cell

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bank — of a river
  3. march — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — a phone
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bank — for money
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a hat

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