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: rest · clip · calf · root · land · prune · season · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. land — to come down
  7. root — of a word
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — a country
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — ground

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