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 · leaves · spell · rush · bark · tear · band · date

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — to rip
  4. field — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bark — to shout
  11. band — a music group
  12. field — farmland
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — a subject
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. rush — hurry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spell — magic

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