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: wind · wax · prune · root · arm · row · wound · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. prune — to trim
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — to turn a key

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