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: arm · march · track · wave · prune · bank · face · straw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — to point toward
  4. track — a path
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bank — of a river
  8. track — to keep track
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — to confront
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. track — a song
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. march — the month
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — a straw man

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