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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. root — of a word
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a document
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. branch — a division
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spell — a short time
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. root — the cause
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — goods
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. leaves — of a tree

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