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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — help
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bound — certain
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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