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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. scale — size or range
  9. march — music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. root — of a word
  12. march — the month
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — part of the head
  23. scale — in music
  24. straw — dry grass

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