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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — child
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hand — help
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. staff — employees
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cell — a phone

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