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 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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body

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