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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. face — to confront
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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