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: cell · last · land · prune · trunk · rock · wound · band

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. land — ground
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cell — in biology
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. last — final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rock — a stone
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a ring
  24. last — to go on

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