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: stock · trunk · straw · wound · perch · mark · field · prune

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stock — shares
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — for sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. field — a subject
  24. stock — goods

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