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 120 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: present · root · prune · track · row · clip · field · pound

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. present — the time now
  4. root — of a word
  5. present — there
  6. root — the cause
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — a weight
  12. track — a path
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. clip — a video
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — a song
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — of a plant

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