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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — to shout
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cold — not warm
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a document
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. suit — clothes
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lash — to lash out

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