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: band · net · object · firm · cell · lean · prune · degree

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. firm — steady
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — decided
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — to protest
  15. net — in sport
  16. cell — in biology
  17. object — an aim
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — temperature
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — a thing
  23. lean — thin
  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