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: board · trunk · plane · root · march · scale · chest · wake

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — a tool
  6. march — the month
  7. board — to get on
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. root — of a plant
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. root — the cause
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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