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: temple · march · fork · tear · key · band · prune · wax

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a music group
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wax — to grow
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — the fruit

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