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: trunk · cap · wind · bat · temple · bulb · drill · wound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — army training
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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