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: file · ball · trunk · cell · bear · wind · leaves · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. file — a document
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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