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 · chest · stock · stem · dip · cell · perch · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. file — a document
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — a box
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stem — to come from
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — shares
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. file — a line of people
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — to sink

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