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: pass · hand · saw · march · wound · temple · wind · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pass — a permit
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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