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: pitch · wake · face · row · prune · tear · snap · dip

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wake — a trail
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tear — to rip
  24. row — a quarrel

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