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 124 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bark — to shout
  24. straw — a straw man

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