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: lean · snap · trunk · prune · wind · date · mug · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. stock — shares
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mug — a face
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mug — to rob
  23. snap — to click
  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