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: straw · trunk · wave · board · wound · spring · kid · mate

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. spring — a coil
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mate — a partner
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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