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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — happy
  6. wax — to grow
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — a safe
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — the amount
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — the cause
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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