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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — of water
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the fish
  6. root — of a word
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. face — to confront
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — part of the head
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — for paper
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — low music
  24. spring — the season

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