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: season · fine · prune · arm · chip · land · trunk · fall

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — ground
  9. fine — high quality
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — all right
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fall — the season
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chip — for betting
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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