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: root · leaves · bowl · trunk · temple · kid · cold · rush

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. root — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — hurry
  14. root — of a word
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cold — an illness
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. root — the cause
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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