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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — electricity
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. mine — for digging
  19. present — a gift
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — there
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. charge — in control

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