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: prune · nail · tear · jam · cap · lean · ground · file

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tear — to rip
  6. file — a line of people
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ground — crushed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ground — a position
  17. cap — a lid
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a document
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lean — thin
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tear — from crying

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