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 · leaves · wake · clip · cell · lie · wound · squash

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. clip — for paper
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — a video
  22. wake — a trail
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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