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 116 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: branch · prune · pound · present · spring · pitch · sharp · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitch — completely
  5. present — a gift
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — there
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spring — the season
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — a weight
  24. sharp — clever

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