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: prune · capital · fan · coach · ground · pop · stock · club

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — soda
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — the earth
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. capital — money
  22. club — a group
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — a supporter

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