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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — a group
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — the cause
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. land — ground
  19. lie — to recline
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — a country
  23. squash — the sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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