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: spell · mouse · bore · bank · rule · cold · band · prune

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — a law
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — magic
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. spell — letters
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cold — not warm
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rule — government
  24. bank — for money

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