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 120 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 · staff · stock · file · lash · field · bound · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — tied together
  3. file — a tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — certain
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — farmland
  12. stock — goods
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. file — a document
  19. field — a subject
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. prune — to trim

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