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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.

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
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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 · bark · saw · wax · lie · clip · fall

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wax — to grow
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fall — the season
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fall — to drop
  16. court — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — an untruth

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