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 · lean · swing · hand · mate · trunk · shower · kid

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — a partner
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mate — to breed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — a coil
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lean — thin
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — the season
  23. mate — a friend
  24. hand — help

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