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 120 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: bank · spring · chip · wound · tube · staff · field · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — farmland
  12. staff — employees
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. field — a subject
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — for sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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