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: wake · band · wound · prune · snap · fall · date · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fall — the season
  7. band — a ring
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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