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: lash · ground · pound · club · prune · press · branch · mine

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — a position
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. branch — a division
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — for digging
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — for dancing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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