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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. craft — a skill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — final
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — to go on

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