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: arm · tube · season · spell · squash · fan · mine · trunk

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — the underground
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spell — a short time
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — to crush
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — in sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. squash — the sport

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