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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. swing — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hand — help
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. tube — a container
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. branch — a division
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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