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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. march — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — army training
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — all right
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — the season
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wind — moving air

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