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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — a list
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — army training
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. roll — a cake

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