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: pop · capital · vault · bear · cold · fork · prune · safe

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pop — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — money
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pop — to visit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — not warm
  18. capital — a city
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — in a road
  24. safe — out of danger

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