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: rush · prune · wake · chest · stock · bound · ground · kick

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ground — a position
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — a box
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. kick — a thrill

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