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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — a container
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — moving air

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