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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — for money
  8. kick — in football
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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