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: prune · temple · wax · file · mate · stem · tear · pass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. file — a document
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stem — a stem cell

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