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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. season — of the year
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. season — in sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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