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

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — a video
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper

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