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: land · prune · spring · present · wave · rest · squash · hide

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — of water
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — ground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — a gift
  10. spring — the season
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. present — there
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — a break
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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