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: straw · lie · current · fall · fork · root · trunk · clip

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. current — electric
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — a video
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — happening now

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