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 116 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: root · file · degree · prune · perch · sharp · staff · tube

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tube — a container
  5. perch — the fish
  6. file — a tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — of a word
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. degree — from a university
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. staff — a stick
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — employees
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. file — a document

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