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: trunk · bat · prune · bear · date · mate · stand · bark

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mate — a partner
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stand — to bear
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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