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

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chair — a leader
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a tree

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