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: spring · deal · row · march · saw · capital · prune · bay

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. deal — to handle
  5. march — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a line
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. capital — a city
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — a coil
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spring — the season
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — of water
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bay — a horse colour

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