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 124 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. fork — in a road
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — the season
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to click
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — a coil
  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