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 · racket · saw · wave · scale · wax · root

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — size or range
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. scale — in music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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