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 120 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: snap · lash · squash · rash · prune · nail · cold · pound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to click
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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