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 124 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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a leader
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — a line

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