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 120 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: wake · foot · scale · shower · trunk · wound · capital · pitcher

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. foot — a measure
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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