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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. squash — the sport
  9. root — of a word
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. root — of a plant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. land — to come down
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fork — in a road
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. scale — size or range

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