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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — a division
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — a trace
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. file — a document

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