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: nail · bark · fork · chest · hand · swing · toast · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chest — a box
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — bread
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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