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 · bulb · land · cell · lean · hand · wake · bass

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — to come down
  9. hand — help
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a tree

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