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: track · plane · rash · rush · bound · prune · last · band

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a ring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bound — tied together
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. band — a music group
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. track — a path
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a song
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — certain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a rubber band

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