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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: pop · wax · branch · clip · bulb · court · craft · rest

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. clip — a video
  9. court — of law
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. branch — a division
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — to visit
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. craft — boats
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rest — a break
  24. wax — for sculpting

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