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: bound · row · racket · tear · foot · bark · plane · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — tied together
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — a tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. foot — a measure
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bound — certain
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. row — a line

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