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: snap · wave · mine · cold · pass · bay · tear · prune

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. pass — a permit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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