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: dip · stock · season · row · trunk · club · wound · rock

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rock — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — of the year
  5. club — for dancing
  6. season — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — for golf
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. club — a group
  24. dip — to dunk

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