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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a document
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — for catching
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a ring

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