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 120 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: plane · ball · straw · pit · branch · wax · staff · trunk

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ball — a dance
  24. staff — employees

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