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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. snap — to click
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bulb — of a plant

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