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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. band — a music group
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cell — a phone
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a ring

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