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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spring — the season
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — to shout

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