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: date · prune · chair · bulb · rash · march · scale · wave

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rash — hasty
  24. prune — to trim

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