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 116 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: rest · cap · mine · board · tube · clip · root · trunk

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. cap — a lid
  13. clip — for paper
  14. tube — the underground
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — of ice
  18. root — the cause
  19. clip — to cut
  20. root — of a word
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tube — a container
  24. root — of a plant

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