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 116 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: field · trunk · board · rock · spring · wind · drill · bear

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — army training
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spring — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — the animal

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