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 120 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: prune · mine · trunk · bat · craft · court · shower · leaves

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. shower — to wash
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. craft — a skill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — for sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — to go away

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