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: saw · can · prune · content · wake · hand · stem · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. can — a tin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — the amount
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — to be able to
  19. content — happy
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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