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: cabinet · branch · lean · game · spell · row · ground · prune

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spell — magic
  4. branch — a division
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — wild animals
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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