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: present · season · prune · bound · capital · wind · pitcher · trunk

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — the time now
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — certain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — there
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of a car
  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