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 · lash · fall · current · capital · spring · ball · rash

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ball — a great time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — a series

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