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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · kick · stem · press · club · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. club — a group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kick — in football
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stem — a stem cell

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