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: calf · straw · key · rash · band · snap · prune · fall

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a music group
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fall — the season
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — hasty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. key — for a lock

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