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: bear · trunk · field · cold · vault · sharp · can · spring

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spring — of water
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. sharp — clever
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — a safe
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — exactly

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