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: land · straw · saw · coach · branch · pound · season · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — a division
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — a country
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — of the year
  24. pound — for dogs

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