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

Word bank: rash · fan · perch · bark · prune · pitcher · deal · last

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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