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: trunk · hide · stand · hand · bat · file · branch · perch

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. hand — in cards
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stand — for spectators

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