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: ground · scale · root · trunk · plane · temple · clip · net

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. clip — to cut
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. root — the cause
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. net — for catching
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. net — in sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a plant

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