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: prune · rash · wind · trunk · bore · pop · land · lean

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lean — thin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — ground
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — to come down
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — a country
  24. lean — to rest against

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