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: field · trunk · saw · mark · calf · fall · spring · hand

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. field — a subject
  5. fall — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. trunk — of a car

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