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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — a hat
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. prune — to trim

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