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: prune · perch · drill · wave · wind · date · kid · can

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — to be able to
  7. drill — a practice
  8. can — a tin
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. drill — army training
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wave — with your hand

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