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: stand · prune · mine · cell · bat · wound · pass · current

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — for digging
  7. current — electric
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. current — happening now
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in a prison

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