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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a ring
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. court — of law
  17. craft — boats
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a rubber band

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