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: capital · pop · spring · prune · sharp · rush · trunk · fan

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — a city
  4. spring — the season
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — soda
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. capital — money

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