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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. clip — a video
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — rain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kick — in football
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kick — with a leg

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