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: present · ball · perch · scale · saw · bear · prune · cold

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — there
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — the time now
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cold — an illness
  21. present — a gift
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — to put up with

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