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: spring · sharp · prune · mouse · tube · date · rule · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — the season
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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