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: saw · row · rest · season · leaves · branch · prune · tube

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — of the year
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rest — a break
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — a division

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