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 · track · wind · bear · bound · stand · row · cell

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — obliged
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cell — a phone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a path
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. row — a line
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — certain

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