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: ground · root · wind · march · prune · rash · stand · file

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. file — a document
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — a position
  6. march — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. root — the cause
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — a series
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — to bear
  24. march — the month

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