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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. current — happening now
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. current — electric
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hand — help
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — to visit
  24. hand — part of the body

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