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: wave · capital · game · fan · prune · wound · bay · saw

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a match
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — money
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a city
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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