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: mug · prune · tube · wind · drill · cold · stock · calf

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mug — to rob
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — the underground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. tube — a container
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — a soup base

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