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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — a division
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — a group
  13. court — for sport
  14. craft — boats
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of law
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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