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 · spring · object · wave · mark · tear · stem · straw

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — a thing
  3. stem — to come from
  4. object — to protest
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — the season
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — of water
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stem — of a plant

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