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: lean · game · kid · ground · bulb · perch · mine · prune

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ground — crushed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — thin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. kid — child
  22. game — a match
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ground — a position

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