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: clip · hand · leaves · mouse · pitcher · prune · bear · stock

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — for paper
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. clip — a video
  24. prune — to trim

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