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: land · bulb · mark · present · march · prune · chest · face

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. present — the time now
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. mark — a trace
  12. present — there
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — a gift
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chest — a box
  19. march — music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bulb — for light

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