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: fan · craft · pop · prune · wake · wound · race · key

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — in music
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — humankind
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — a contest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. wake — a trail

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