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

Word bank: present · prune · firm · trunk · roll · spell · field · wind

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spell — magic
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. field — for sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — farmland
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. firm — steady
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. roll — a list
  22. spell — letters
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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