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: snap · coach · march · bank · lie · swing · spring · bark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bank — of a river
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lie — to recline
  16. spring — a coil
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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