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: branch · game · ball · press · mine · prune · pound · mark

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ball — a dance
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mark — a trace
  20. branch — a division
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pound — for dogs

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