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: bank · bark · face · cold · present · prune · trunk · perch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cold — not warm
  3. present — a gift
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — there
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. present — the time now
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — of a tree

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