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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. root — the cause
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. root — of a word
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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