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 · fork · row · cell · land · dip · bat · wave

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. row — a line
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. land — to come down
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cell — a phone

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