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: cue · jam · chest · coach · band · rush · prune · wake

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cue — a signal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — a box
  17. band — a music group
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cue — a hint
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — for pool

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