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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — a division
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. last — final
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. last — finally
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. last — to go on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tear — to rip

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