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

Word bank: prune · perch · present · wind · sharp · pitcher · lash · march

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. present — a gift
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — the fruit
  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