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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — to trim

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