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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ground — a position
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rest — a break
  24. squash — the sport

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