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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. season — in sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bat — the animal

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