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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. staff — employees
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. staff — a stick
  11. perch — the fish
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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