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 · dip · cell · court · stand · pound · nail · bark

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — of law
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. court — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — for dogs

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