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: prune · season · file · lean · coach · march · root · club

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a word
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lean — to bend
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. march — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a document
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. club — for golf
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. club — a group
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. file — a tool
  24. lean — thin

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