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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — of water
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. file — a document
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards

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