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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — to protest
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. root — the cause
  24. object — a thing

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