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 120 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: plane · pitcher · bank · prune · degree · rash · wave · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — the month
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — of a river

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