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: prune · trunk · present · wax · march · last · squash · mate

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. last — final
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a friend
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — finally
  24. mate — a partner

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