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: kid · bark · bass · trunk · mine · object · swing · wave

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. object — an aim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — for digging
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. object — a thing
  13. swing — music
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. object — to protest
  17. kid — child
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — to shout
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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