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: plane · prune · spring · wound · squash · track · hand · spell

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — the season
  14. track — a song
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a path
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. squash — the sport

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