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: prune · leaves · straw · date · stock · wave · file · swing

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. file — a document
  6. swing — to play on
  7. date — the fruit
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wave — with your hand

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