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: spring · perch · trunk · straw · branch · chest · arm · bass

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spring — a coil
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spring — of water

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