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 · rule · coach · wound · jam · field · bark · row

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. row — a line
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rule — government
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rule — a law
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. field — a subject
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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