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: mine · leaves · trunk · track · bear · temple · spring · prune

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — of water
  13. track — a song
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — to keep track
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spring — the season
  24. temple — side of the head

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