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: roll · ground · stand · prune · mine · wound · band · lean

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — a position
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — thin
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a ring
  19. roll — a list
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — an explosive

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