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: land · plane · trunk · snap · perch · cell · mine · spell

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. land — ground
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — a country
  8. cell — a phone
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cell — in biology
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. snap — to click
  21. spell — letters
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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