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: current · mine · prune · pass · land · jam · content · leaves

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. content — happy
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — electric
  5. land — a country
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. land — ground
  13. current — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pass — a permit
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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