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: scale · lean · mine · rush · ball · root · cold · prune

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — thin
  21. ball — a great time
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — the cause

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