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: pound · clip · current · temple · perch · prune · track · cell

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. track — to keep track
  3. current — happening now
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. current — electric
  12. cell — in biology
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — the fish
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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