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: rule · prune · wax · season · pound · bowl · hand · straw

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — a law
  4. hand — help
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. season — in sport
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rule — government

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