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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · prune · mine · ruler · cold · tear

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ruler — a monarch

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