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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.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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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: leaves · court · cue · dip · wax · foot · bay · clip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. dip — to sink
  4. clip — a video
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cue — a signal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — a hint
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. court — of law
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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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