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: cap · toast · bear · saw · fall · prune · date · spring

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — of ice
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bear — the animal

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