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 116 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: stock · press · rush · pound · tear · staff · spell · prune

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spell — magic
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stock — goods
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — a soup base

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