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: ground · cap · stand · wind · tube · prune · straw · branch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ground — a position
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — a division
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. prune — to trim

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