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 116 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: prune · deal · bark · object · hand · pop · ball · tube

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — soda
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hand — help
  5. tube — a container
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. object — to protest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — a thing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. object — an aim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ball — a great time
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — of a tree

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