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: chip · pop · branch · ball · kid · rash · saw · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chip — for betting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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