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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — a video
  3. kid — child
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — the fruit

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