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: wound · trunk · roll · file · bear · wax · rest · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. rest — a break
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — for digging
  17. roll — a list
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mine — an explosive

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