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: field · march · saw · prune · lash · mug · cabinet · press

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. march — the month
  4. press — to push
  5. field — for sport
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — newspapers
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mug — a cup
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mug — a face
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — music
  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