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 · spring · rock · trunk · land · mark · vault · pitcher

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spring — of water
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. land — to come down
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. vault — a safe
  24. land — a country

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