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: band · mate · prune · cell · leaves · row · hand · temple

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hand — help
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mate — a partner
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mate — a friend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. temple — a place of worship

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