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: leaves · mark · tear · prune · rash · club · swing · coach

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mark — a grade
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. club — a group
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — to trim
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. club — for golf
  24. prune — the fruit

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