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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fine — all right
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — to sit on

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