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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ground — a position
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. current — happening now
  8. content — happy
  9. ground — crushed
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. content — the amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. file — a document
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. rush — a thrill

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