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: pound · coach · trunk · leaves · chest · chip · wax · plane

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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