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: court · content · bark · branch · fine · prune · file · field

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — high quality
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — all right
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. file — a line of people
  22. court — of a king
  23. content — happy
  24. field — farmland

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