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: row · prune · swing · patient · capital · fan · root · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. capital — a city
  10. swing — to play on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — in golf
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a line
  16. capital — money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. root — the cause
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — of a word

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