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

Word bank: pop · face · fan · date · prune · bulb

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pop — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — soda
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — to visit
  14. date — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — to confront
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to point toward

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