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: bound · prune · cold · spell · vault · arm · plane · wind

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spell — letters
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — magic
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — obliged
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bound — certain
  24. spell — a short time

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