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: spell · roll · branch · straw · prune · suit · shower · wound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. roll — a list
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — rain
  14. spell — a short time
  15. suit — to fit
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. roll — a cake
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — a division
  20. shower — to wash
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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