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: cabinet · chip · rule · spring · tear · arm · charge · prune

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spring — the season
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. charge — a price
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — government
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rule — a law
  24. charge — in control

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