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 116 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: bowl · present · spring · saw · spell · prune · lash · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. present — the time now
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — letters
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. spell — magic
  17. present — there
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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