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: coach · pound · mine · calf · wound · rest · prune · season

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — for digging

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