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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. object — a thing
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — an aim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — a city
  19. spring — the season
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. object — to protest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — gave birth

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