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: degree · rash · prune · wind · last · bank · lash · band

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — hasty
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a ring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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