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: kid · mark · bound · lie · spring · trunk · bear · cell

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — child
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — of water
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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