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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — a contest
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. race — the arms race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wind — moving air

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