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: tube · chair · wake · leaves · capital · swing · scale · prune

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a city
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — money
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chair — a leader
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — to play on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. swing — music
  24. prune — the fruit

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