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: root · plane · field · clip · snap · calf · march · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — for paper
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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